Lowndes positive for tomorrow after incident

Craig Lowndes may be chasing a recordnumber of wins in the Championship – but that will have to wait for anotherday.

By lap four of Race Three today, Lowndes’ car was in the pitand he was a lap down.

Post-race, Lowndes expressed hisdisappointment, not scoring one point today.

“Finishing at the back of the grid for bothleg one and leg two was pretty disappointing. We went a lap down and that’swhat hurt us, because from that point there’s no use fighting. So we just drovearound the back of the field, stayed out of everyone’s way and watched everyoneelse have a bit of fun.”

With the new 60/60 Sprint format, there wasa half-time break during the race, but Lowndes did not join the lead lap.

“It carries over, so wherever you finish inthe first leg you continue to the second leg… I was a lap down and there was nouse me racing.

“That took me out of the equation prettyearly on – I drove around the back of the pack and watched everyone elsehave their own accidents.”

Lowndes’ first contact was with Shane VanGisbergen into turn six. “I went around on the outside and there was contact, Iwas off-track,” he said.

“As I went offtrack, whether the tyrepopped off the bead or not I don’t know, but we had a flat tyre from that pointon. Going into turn two it was evident I had a tyre problem and spun, turnedmyself around, luckily everyone got around me and I brought it home, limped ithome. You go a lap down, and from then it’s all over.”

As always, Lowndes is positive, lookingforward.

“Tomorrow’s a brand new day – there’s nodoubt the boys will have a good look at it (the car). It’s not that damaged,mechanically the car’s ok.

“I lost first gear in the spin because Iwas too anxious to get back out and out of everyone’s way. With all the darkness, youget a silver lining so we’ll kick on tomorrow and tomorrow’s a new day.”

Lowndes has tumbled from first in theChampionship to third – though with only three races complete.